Gilels plays Brahms: Paganini Variations Book 1 (2/2)

[bcfiddle]

Wonderful post! Thank you for sharing!

[packardbell2]

First play Brahms-Paganini in public without doing any mistakes. Then you can judge. Just playing on a stage deserves the highest respect, and if you are going to play one of the most hard piano pieces that exists... It's very easy to judge from the stalls. I don't even mention the fact that each pianist is an unique world, so any comparison among them has no sense (vox Arthur Rubinstein).

[NormanicusDiabolicus]

Plent of mistakes.  But to hell with them. What a magnificent rendition. A suberb artist!

[diegokillua]

buana sona ta sin duda

no entiendo nada de lo que dicen esta en ingleees T.T

[KeithWhalen11]

1:32, probably makes the entire set for me.

[beethomozart]

extroverted work, extreme shining music, Brahms wrote a great piece of art with these variations from Paganini´s 24th capriccio, wonderful Gilels, one of the top pianist of the 20th century

[dido93]

Katchen...!! No human can do better in Brahms Paganini...!!

[Sim882]

@dido93 yes, katchen's is by far the best

[kurapicaasakura]

@dido93 Arrau could, and he did it. Hear variations 13 and 14 played by Arrau

[dido93]

@kurapicaasakura I think Arrau was not only a great man but also a Genius, an incredible virtuoso and a very "profondo" Pianist. All my admiration for this great Musician. P.S.: his playing of B-P is as outstanding as Katchen rendition.

[eppilihpsiuppahc]

Not as good as Arrau.

[drrichardhauser]

sehr schöne sympathische Aufnahme aber nicht so zwingend wie Wilhelm Backhaus 1930 erhältlich bei Naxos

[chaos4u2]

the best of the world

[Messiaen28]

Fahtastique!

[suremate]

he plays it even better than Michelangeli.

[UGTownsend]

he makes the octave glizzes look so easy.. (^_^)

[mehandas]

Won't they hurt his fingers,,how do you them without using the nail?

[reaperman2004]

You have to use the thumbnail and your pinky to perform an octave glissando.

[archcorenth]

I'm not strong enough for that. :-P

[etude12]

archcorenth,

If you want to do the glizzes, practice on something light, like an electric keyboard, then progress to an upright then a grand. I can only stretch an octave and, being a girl, am not terrifically strong. I was surprised, however, that after a week or so of agony/blisters/numb 5th finger work, I could do it!

[Overlapse1000]

Don't listen to etude12 archcorenth, you need a good organ to get xtra smooth and fair glissando, a modern e keyboard with a good organ sound will help, though yu will miss the pedals, also helps with understanding orchestral effects in the composition elements. "

[etude12]

I was addressing the building of strength, leading to the development of an octave gliss. on a piano. Like lifting weights from a low to a high wieght, building resistance. The use of an organ is equally legitimate.

[pianofolle]

the suggestions u got dont say the essential. in the glissando the thumb and the pinky are positioned and bent in a DIFFERENT way, otherwise of course one bleeds to death. the thumb hit the keyboard with nail and it's totally bent, while the pinky stays STRAIGHT and touches with the soft part.

[etude12]

I thought that was too obvious to explain. It may have seemed patronising. Sort of like making someone re-learn the alphabet because they mis-spelled a word. Glad you contrubuted though, in case the execution of a gliss. was not clear.

[pianofolle]

it's ok, i was more precise coz i remember myself in the beginnig: i was placing my hand and fingers in the most absurd ways!

[pianofolle]

forgot to say: the wrist /hand is inclined opposite way to the glissando movement! so the pinky will be inclined ab 45 degrees respect to each key

[TK2008BEST]

why he sits like that??....

[marypoppins87]

One of the most gracious pianists of all time. He is amazing... I really wish the younger generation could bring this kind of mesmerizing playing to the concert platform.

[CodyNelsonMusic]

Everyone who's anyone wants to be Paganini. Brahms, Rach, Liszt......

[JorPove]

Usualmente los criticos profesionales (que se ganan la vida sacando imperfecciones ,"teclazos", "tiempos lentos o rapidos" y cuanto error comete un ser humano (un pianista no esta exento de hacerlo) son ilustres desconocidos.A la historia pasan los grandes interpretes que recrean (aun con imperfeccion) las grandes obras maestras. Y dichosamente son humanos y se equivocan,pues de otra manera ya habriamos inventado robots- artistas  y aun asi, los criticos les encontrarian errores...

[rynah123]

great music great performance great snacks

[pianocommy]

A wonderful piece, and one of the hardest of all to play; yet this piece has nothing ostentatious, showy or flashy, every variation is great music. Who could be better qualified to play it than Gilels? (nobody!)

[dgaranin]

pianocommy, Everybody does qualify to play this piece who can play it from the beginning to the end without hitting wrong notes.. This would not necesssary result in a great performance as this one but would do for the management..

[pianocommy]

I didn't mean to imply that other pianists are unqualified to play this piece (I've had a go myself); but that in my opinion, Gilels is the ideal pianist to play it.

[reaperman2004]

That fascinating Mike - however people are entitled to their opinions.

However... I haven't heard Kissin play it... so right now I can't judge.

However Mei-ting Sing plays it pretty damn well and with plenty of gusto and energy.

[mikejr41387]

I love Gilels as a pianist tho. I encourage you to hear the Kissin for its extreme balls to the wall tour de force display of wicked virtuosity... its pretty unbelievable

[PianoStudent7]

amen! Kissin shreds through both books with superior technique that is second to none!

[punkpoetry]

I don't think that playing it technically better than Gilels does here is much of a challenge for any virtuoso: he's clearly in a rather weak form, at 67 and after a heart attack his technique is not what it used to be 20-30 years earlier. musically, however, Kissin doesn't amount to much compared to him, or other masters of this caliber

[mikejr41387]

thats basically all i was trying to say. Kissin is obviously no match for Gilels as an artist

[olivleonardo]

@punkpoetry And this is a live performance, different from Kissin.

[exponentu]

Gilels is without doubt my favourite pianist. I know that because he is the only one whose playing can make me cry. Why is that? It certainly has to do with his very great artistry (as opposed to technique), his choice of repertoire, which is central to my musical tastes.

But, I think the extra, deciding factor is that Gilels' absolute integrity before the music, complete lack of ego and very great warmth and humanity set him apart from most other executant artists.

I am forever greatful.

[slothvader]

ditto what you said re integrity re the music.

he's plainly in great pain here, yet perseveres.

one of the 20th centurys greatest imho.

a friend of mine who grew up in the soviet union said they considered richter and gilels the great pianists of their day.

seems they got something right, anyway.

[NOSEhow2LIV]

Wonderful;not just a"technical"rending but one which has grasp of sense of direction & placing the important dramatic & poetic moments.I heard him in both books about this year(RFH London)where all the accidents happened in the theme(!),and having got those out of the way,he gave an impressively commanding performance.Always great musical events,his concerts.

[selfpraisepomp]

Gilels was one of the all-time greats. I saw him play both the Schumann (which I also played in public) and the Grieg. They were flawless, and yet, I was astouded to read in his obituary that he was a pianist noted for making mistakes. That's news to me!!!

[hyf199003]

he played slower than arrau,but wonderful

[pianotalent]

the speed is not the indicator, guys! Why do you all judge by the speed? Strange.

[sbcpianist]

Thanks for posting this video! I didn't know it existed.

[englishplayer40]

his arm gestures at the end of passages are classic

[Geistero]

Paganini would kiss not only his hands, as by Berlioz, but feet too...

[goldberg72]

mori l'anno dopo questo concerto credo

[beryllium2]

how the bloody hell does he do that octave glisando at 4:00?! anyway, he is one of my favoite pianists.

[mathpianist93]

he was a genious!

[dido93]

In ogni caso, Gilels è stato un interprete e un virtuoso immenso, e concordo con chi asserisce che negli ultimi anni della sua vita il suo suono si è andato perfezionando raggiungendo una qualità e una bellezza sublimi, inimitabili (ascoltare, ad esempio, la sua registrazione dei pezzi lirici di Grieg...da sogno...).

[dido93]

Paragonata alla registrazione in studio di Katchen, è inferiore (musicalmente e tecnicamente). Ma questa è dal vivo e Gilels non è più un "giovanotto"...ed è comunque molto bella...

[chad410]

I think he has such a gorgeous tone in his later years

[Elfinsafety]

pianopera: I agree - Gilels was a wonderful Brahmsian :) Bear in mind this performance here was in 1984 - only a year before he died. He had a heart attack in 1981 (after playing the Schumann concerto at the Concertgebouw), and his health suffered after that. It really says something that despite his declining health he still had the stamina to take on the Brahms-Paganini in his final recitals. I read that Richter said Gilels had "devoured" the Brahms-Paganini in his youth during the war.

[pianopera]

Yes, if I'm not mistaken Gilels won the Queen Elisabeth competetion in 1938 (A.B. Michelangeli finishing only at the 7th place in the same year) and especially his rendering of this piece must have been sensational...(and 46 years later it's still not too bad!)

[Elfinsafety]

Yeah it must have been mind-blowing :)

From Rubinstein's autobiography (he was on the jury):

"Emil Gilels played both volumes of the Brahms-Paganini variations in a way which left no doubt that he was the outstanding competitor"

I wonder if he played Book 2 after this Book 1 performance here?

[robshelrobshel]

This recording is from his recital at Tchaikovsky Hall in Mosocw on January 9, 1983. In spite of some losses - very inspiring performance!!! Gilels as always.

[sviatoslavberezovsky]

wonderful

[pianopera]

Maybe not Gilels in his best form - but still a wonderful performance with intelligent phrasing, depth, warmth and sincere musicianship.

[pianocommy]

Even if this is not "Gilels in his best form", It's the best Brahms-Pag I know of!